"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."
John 3:30

Monday, March 26, 2012

He Must Increase-Day 86

I suppose that each generation supposes that the subsequent generation is flaky. I'm not sure why, it just seems true. "Kids these days" is something I've heard many older people say and more recently I've caught my self thinking such things. It seems to me that, most of these claims center around the issue of commitment. "They don't keep their word", "they don't have integrity", "quit too easy." I think it's more reasonable to say that every person, and every generation, is committed to something; but it may not be what the previous generation was committed to. That's what keeps us old guys grumbling!

I was reading this morning in the book of Ruth and was pleasantly surprised to rediscover an amazing passage on commitment. The young widow Ruth wants to head back with her mother-in-law to Judah. The mother-in-law (Naomi) tells her to go on back to Moab and let her die (essentially). "Don't ruin your life for me" is kind of the sentiment she expresses. But read Ruth's response:Ruth 1:16-17 "But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!"

In what situation, or to whom, could you see yourself making such a commitment?